DK Travel : Munich

Of the city he lived in for many years, 20th-century writer Thomas Mann said that “Munich glows”. And indeed, the sky is often a brilliant blue dotted with puffy white clouds in “Italy’s northernmost city”, where the relaxed, often Baroque lifestyle gives it a southern flair. Englischer Garten and the Isar meadows are right in the middle of the city; Starnberger See and the mountains are virtually on the doorstep. But Munich is also a city of art and culture with an abundance of historic buildings, museum treasures, and a lively cultural scene. Fine art, leisure, and la dolce vita make this a unique city.

For Munich on the Internet, visit www.muenchen.de With 1.3 million inhabitants, Munich is Germany’s third-largest city.

Franz von Lenbach

The “Painter Prince” (1836–1904) greatly influenced Munich’s art scene.
Franz von Stuck

Stuck (1863–1928) was co-founder of the Munich Secession. His Art Nouveau villa is now a museum.
Franziskaner Fuchsenstuben

Known for dishing up the best Weißwürste (veal sausages) and Leberkäse (minced meat loaf) in the city, this pub has been in business for 200 years.
Franziskaner Weißbier

Franciscan friars have brewed this beer since 1363 in the former monastery on Residenzstraße. Now part of the Spaten-Löwenbräu Group.
Frauenkirche

Weinstraße, a lane off Marienplatz, leads to the Frauenkirche (1468–88), a basilica designed by Jörg von Halsbach. A lack of funds forced him to abandon his idea of Gothic towers. The “Swiss bonnets” that top the towers were added later and are perhaps the forerunners of all the onion domes in Bavaria. Highlights are the emperor’s tomb, Erasmus Grasser’s carving, and the statue of St Christopher.
Frauenkirche

Munich’s 15th-century cathedral dominates the city silhouette with its twin towers.
Fraunhofer

This authentic pub has an interior from the turn of the 19th century. Frequented by students and big in the alternative scene, the pub features a cabaret stage in the rear courtyard.
Freilichtmuseum an der Glentleiten

Old farmhouses, a forge, and traditional artisans in this open-air museum. Children receive a colouring book as a guide (see Kochelsee & Walchensee).
Freising

The historic seat of a bishopric, the town is dominated by the cathedral and the bishop’s residence, situated on a hill known as the Mons Doctus – Learned Mount. Designed as a Roman basilica with five aisles, the cathedral was completed in 1205 and embellished from 1723 to 1724 by the Asam brothers, with stucco and stained-glass windows. Not to be missed are the Romanesque crypt and its famous Bestiensäule , a column elaborately carved with fabled beasts. Near the cathedral lies the former Benedictine monastery, Weihenstephan. Today, it is a brewery – arguably the oldest in the world – with a wonderful beer garden.
Friedensengel

Soaring high above the banks of the Isar, the Friedensengel (Angel of Peace, 1896–99) commemorates the Franco-Prussian war of 1870–71. Based on the Greek goddess Nike, this gilded figure stands 6 m (20 ft) tall. At its foot, two sweeping flights of stairs lead down from the escarpment to a terraced park with fountains on the lower end of Prinzregentenstraße.